The exhibition is situated at the zoo's west gate and features paintings and drawings from resident chimpanzees, African elephants and even otters.

Elephants' intelligence is well known, but it means they also require stimulating activities to pass the time. Their painting excursions are just one example of initiatives aimed at staving off boredom.

"We do not do any kind of mass production. Basically, up to 20 times a year. So far, it has mainly been in winter and indoors. Since elephants cannot go outside in winter, they also have enriching activities indoors," zookeeper Erko Kiisel told "Ringvaade".

The animals have different approaches too. "Fien is the only one who paints with strikes of her trunk. The strength of the strikes depends on how sleepy or alert the day is, and how good or bad the mood is. Carl and Draay have a more consistent mood for painting," Kiisel noted.

The keepers get to choose the colors, usually six basic colors. The elephants are also given a reward for painting. "Pieces of bottle gourd and special biscuits made from corn, carrot and sunflower oil," are among these, Kiisel noted. 

Meanwhile, the otters have to be induced in other ways. "The otters did not make this art for the sake of art; they had to have chicken hearts held above the canvas, and the paint was around the canvas," exhibition curator Darja Zubareva explained. "So when the otters ran and jumped around there, their paw prints were also left behind."

The creations are for sale, and proceeds are to go towards charities, specifically in support of the conservation of the Sumatran rhinoceros, Pallas's cat and wild European mink.

Fien the African elephant's past exploits include football predictions, and he was half right about the finalists ahead of the 2024 European Championships, correctly forecasting Spain would make it.

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